Allen Iverson during what should have been the completion of his legacy (Getty Images)
On Monday, Eric Freeman relayed the news that the Dallas Mavericks’ D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, was interested in signing former NBA All-Star Allen Iverson to a deal with the team. This came on the heels of the minor-league outfit signing up a one-time starter on a championship contender in Delonte West, and a former NBA lottery pick in scoring guard Rashad McCants.
The report was well-sourced, from ESPN’s Marc Stein, but it seemed obvious from the sniff test that this was both a stab at publicity and ticket sales from the Legends (as is the team’s right), and something that Iverson would probably not deign to do, despite receiving little (stints in Memphis and Philadelphia) to no (everyone else) interest from NBA teams in the years since he was afforded a leave of absence from the Detroit Pistons in 2009.
In spite of the fact that the Legends have already placed one 37-year-old NBA veteran on the Mavericks so far this year, current Mav Mike James, the 37-year-old Iverson has apparently declined a spot with the Legends. Iverson likely thinks it beneath him. He explained his rationale on his Twitter account early on Tuesday:
